French Madagascar

French Madagascar (25 December 1860-14 October 1958) was a colony of France that existed for almost 100 years, located on the island nation of Madagascar, to the southeast of Africa. The island came under French rule on Christmas Day of 1860 after the Merina Dynasty was overthrown, and from 1897 the island was pacified by Hubert Lyautey's French troops. The island gained autonomy in 1958 as the decolonization of Africa occurred.

History
The Second French Empire pursued an imperialist agenda, hoping to expand to conquer much of the world for their empire. They conquered Algeria and much of North Africa in the 1830s and 1840s after wars with Algeria Eyalet and the Ottoman Empire, gaining a foothold in the continent of Africa. They also owned the island of Mauritius in the Pacific Ocean, which they planned to make into a naval base.

However, France had its eyes on the island nation of Madagascar, an uncivilized kingdom ruled by the Merina Dynasty. The French did not want to waste lives and a possible British intervention in an invasion of the island, so they decided to pursue a peaceful process of annexation. In 1858 they gained Madagascar as a sphere state following the signing of the Lambert Charter, and soon, it became possible to annex the island.

On Christmas Day of 1860, France formally annexed Madagascar after overthrowing the Merinas, and the island became a major colony. Several naval ports and forts were constructed, and the island served as a gateway to colonization of East Africa and Oceania. In the early 1860s the island was the site of a few battles between France and Mexico during the French War of Yucatan, but the Mexicans were later driven out of their occupational zones. The region of French Madagascar came to include the Comoros and Mayotte in addition to Madagascar proper.

Madagascar's Queen Ranavalona II was deposed in 1895 during the Franco-Hova Wars, and General Hubert Lyautey was sent to carry out the Pacification of Madagascar, putting down insurrections against French troops and missionaries. In 1924 tensions rose as socialist parties began to agitate the populace against the French republicans, and in 1947 the Democratic Movement for Malagasy Restoration (MDRM) revolted against France. 80,000 Malagasy people were killed, but in 1957 Madagascar became autonomous. In 1960, Madagascar became fully independent from France, ending years of French occupation.